Green Milkweed Leaf Beetle vs Four-banded Furrow Bee

Side-by-side species comparison

Attribute Green Milkweed Leaf Beetle Four-banded Furrow Bee
Scientific Name Labidomera clivicollis Halictus quadricinctus
Order Coleoptera Hymenoptera
Family Chrysomelidae Halictidae
Size 8-12 mm 14-16 mm
Habitat Grasslands Grasslands
Diet Herbivores Nectar Feeders
Regions North America Southern and Central Europe, Western Asia
Conservation Least Concern Near Threatened

Green Milkweed Leaf Beetle

A large, handsome beetle with blue-black elytra marked with orange to cream-colored spots and a blue-black pronotum. It is commonly found on milkweed plants across North America.

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Did You Know?

Like monarch butterflies, this beetle sequesters toxic cardiac glycosides from milkweed, and its bold coloration warns predators of its unpalatability.

Four-banded Furrow Bee

A large, robust halictid bee with four prominent white hair bands across its dark abdomen. It is one of the biggest sweat bees in Europe.

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Did You Know?

At up to 16 mm long, it is almost as large as a honey bee and dwarfs most other species in its family.